


Charmed

by TheFeistyRogue



Series: Inception Fics [8]
Category: Inception (2010)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Different Powers, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst, Coercion, Dom Cobb Being an Asshole, Heartbreak, M/M, Murder, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-21
Updated: 2019-01-21
Packaged: 2019-10-14 04:12:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,191
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17501330
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheFeistyRogue/pseuds/TheFeistyRogue
Summary: Eames doesn't take any of Cobb's shit.





	Charmed

**Author's Note:**

  * For [what-is-a-fanfic-author (HotShame)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/HotShame/gifts).



> As established by the previous fic in this series:
> 
> Dom is a charm speaker.
> 
> Arthur has enhanced senses.
> 
> Eames can read minds.

“That doesn’t work on me, and you know it, so don’t even bloody try it,” Eames grunted.

Arthur glanced up, narrowing his eyes. Dom’s face came into focus, muttering something frantically into Eames’s ear. Arthur tilted his head, extending his hearing. While Arthur might not have been able to hear or see or sense anything about Eames that normal human senses couldn’t detect, Dom was another matter altogether. Eames was Arthur’s soulmate; their ‘powers’ didn’t work on each other, but Arthur could still listen in on the other half of the conversation.

“...and you know that he’s a decent enough architect. I can’t build and extract, not any more.”

“Not since Mal, you mean,” Eames growled, just loud enough for an average human to hear. His gaze lanced over toward Arthur, obviously aware that Arthur was listening in. He always seemed to be, even if he couldn’t read Arthur’s mind like he could everyone else’s.

“Mal… Mal was…” Dom trailed off. “Look, Mal’s not the most important thing at the moment, getting a good enough architect in is. Let it go, Eames, Nash can do it, I’ve worked with him before, he’s nearly as good…”

“As you?” Eames snapped. “We need better, to pull off this job.”

Arthur got to his feet and ambled over.

“Come on, Eames, let it go,” he said, nudging the man with his shoulder. “Nash can do it.”

Dom turned to him with a blinding smile and Arthur offered a nod in return.

A myriad of emotions crossed Eames’s face.

“Darling,” he implored, then shook his head. “Sometimes, I’d give anything to know what was going on in that pretty little head of yours.” At this, he turned to glare at Dom, although Arthur had no idea why.

Dom looked away, staring over toward his desk. Eames crossed his arms and huffed.

“I’ll contact Nash,” Arthur said. He walked away, not wanting to get involved in another argument. He didn’t really understand why Eames and Dom clashed so often. Eames claimed it was their conflicting powers, but Dom only used his charm speaking when extracting, no matter what Eames might say. Eames wasn’t even affected by Dom’s power, so Arthur just couldn’t make sense of it.

* * *

 

Eames woke Arthur in the middle of the night.

“If I left, would you go with me?” he asked.

Arthur groaned, rolling over.

“Whu?” he said, before Eames’s words registered. He sat bolt upright in their shared bed.

Eames was dressed, his suitcase packed, lounging in the desk chair of their hotel room.

“I’m going,” he said. “Come with me, please.”

Arthur blinked the sleep from his eyes and extended his senses. All was quiet. There was no one approaching to attack them in the night, no unknown threat.

“Going?” he spluttered. “But—the job? The one for Cobol? We need you. Cobb needs you!”

“Fuck Cobol,” Eames hissed. “And fuck Cobb. You’ve spent the last year running yourself ragged trying to get him back stateside. It’s time to go, Arthur, before this job collapses down around our ears.”

“No,” Arthur said, shaking his head. “I can’t just leave Cobb on his own.”

Eames buried his face in his palms. 

“Fuck. Fuck! He’s got his claws in you, good and proper.”

“What are you on about?”

“You won’t believe me,” Eames said. He stood, snatching up his suitcase. Arthur clenched his hands into the duvet.

Eames paused by the door. 

“Charming Dominic Cobb.” He shook his head. “He’s fucking with your mind, Arthur.” Eames looked back and there was heartbreak in his eyes. 

“When you figure it out, I’ll be there for you. I love you, darling.”

And with that, he was gone.

* * *

 

The Fischer job was long and hard, and for some reason Dom had actually managed to persuade Eames to join them. Arthur hadn’t forgiven him for leaving, but he was too distracted by thought of what lay ahead to dwell on the past.

Fischer was a truth-seer. He knew when he was being lied to. It was going to scupper their entire plan.

But apparently Yusef had a compound just for that. It made Arthur sick with nerves to even consider it, but it also strangely appealed to him. 

No powers: in the dream, they would only have themselves to rely on.

Eames would not be able to read minds, Arthur would not have his sharp senses, Dom would no longer speak with the honey-toned charm that could separate a dragon from their gold.

Arthur did not expect his entire world to crumble down around him.

When Dom spoke he was uncouth and rude. With his words no longer laced with velvet, Arthur felt surges of irritation that soon changed to anger when Dom confessed he’d trapped them in the dream with only one way out: down.

Eames was a smug bastard. Arthur couldn’t find fault in that.

“All this time, he’s been using it on me?” Arthur asked, when they had a moment to themselves in the warehouse on the first level of the dream.

Eames shrugged. “Most, if not all.”

“I feel violated.”

“I’m sorry, darling.” Eames stepped closer, his gaze wary. “If I kiss you, are you going to shoot me?”

Arthur tilted his head to one side and flashed him a smirk. 

“You’ll never know unless you try.”

Eames brushed their lips together, but their peace was disturbed by Ariadne slamming into the room.

“I might just shoot Cobb myself,” she snarled, seemingly unaware of their proximity to each other. Arthur exchanged a long glance with Eames.

“Save it for once the job is over,” he advised. “Let’s go incept Fischer.”

* * *

 

When they woke on the plane, Arthur immediately shoved in earbuds and dialled down his hearing. His other senses he kept on high alert and it worked well enough for him to get through security and away from customs. Perhaps Dom was shouting his name. Perhaps Dom was so absorbed in his children that he’d forgotten about Arthur altogether.

Arthur didn’t care. The next time Arthur saw Dob Cobb come near him and open his mouth, Arthur was going to stick the barrel of a gun in it.

He grinned when Eames slid into his taxi and waved off the concerned look of the driver. He pulled out his earbuds and leaned back against the worn leather.

“I don’t have to read your mind to know what you’re thinking,” Eames murmured. “Murder and mayhem?”

Arthur extended a hand and Eames cupped it between his own.

“Murder and mayhem,” Arthur agreed. “And a little something else too.”

“Oh?” Eames arched a brow.

“I love you,” he said. 

Eames smirked. “I know.”

“Next time, though, you should just kidnap me until the charm wears off,” Arthur recommended. “Also, I seriously am considering murdering Dom Cobb.”

Eames’s eyes twinkled. “There’ll be no next time, I won’t let there be. You’re stuck with me now, and charm speakers generally know to steer clear of us telepaths.”

Arthur nodded. “No murder today, in that case.”

“Not today,” Eames agreed, but there was a promise in his eyes. Arthur shivered with delight and pulled Eames into a kiss.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope it was everything you wanted it to be, Naxxerie! 
> 
> Further suggestions for this verse and welcomed and encouraged. Or anything Arthur/Eames, really!


End file.
